Five Worlds: Background Noise
by DA2003
Summary: As familiar characters from different worlds interact, all seems to be going well. But there are those who notice something wrong and the threat it poses to the world itself.


Five Worlds

Tokyo, April:

It had probably been a mistake to enter in this local tournament Ryu reflected. He was in danger before he had even stepped into the pit that doubled as a fighting ring. Not in the sense of his opponents, many of them were barely more than thugs, easy to put away with a few simple manoeuvres. No, the danger came from those who had organised it, what Ryu had originally thought to be a simple local underground fighting tournament was soon revealed to be run by the well known criminal organisation, the Black Dragon.

What had surprised Ryu most of all was the brazen lack of subtly that had been shown the instant the fighters had gathered in one place to take part in the tournament. A small warehouse, abandoned by legal professions, with a pit dug out in the centre, bare concrete being the only thing underfoot and a small ramp carved into the concrete as the only way out. At one end of the makeshift arena was a chair that was being used as a makeshift mock throne. On it sat a man in a beaten leather jacket and jeans with the most noticeable thing about him was a metal plate on the right side of his face, a bright red point of light which highlighted a synthetic eye.

His name was Kano and Ryu had taken an instant dislike to him. Each fight that had taken place had Kano watching and cackling with each blow taking place, enjoying every moment of it. The sadistic pleasure the man displayed made Ryu's skin crawl and when he overheard Kano talking about reporting this back to the Black Dragon, he knew the sponsors behind this low key tournament. What hadn't been revealed was the reason behind organising it, although the crowd was fairly large and it appeared that the focus was making the money on the bets for the night.

Anyone who had bet on Ryu had certainly gotten their money's worth at least. He had ploughed through his opponents, most of them no more than thugs off the streets with only some power bit little skill. It was now the final match and Ryu faced his final opponent, a man with an eerie familiarity about him named Kobra. He had long blonde hair, handsome features and wore a worn old jacket and trousers with the look of absolute arrogance on his face, an almost offensive sneer.

"You're Ryu then?" The man said as he stood at the opposite end of the small pit "I saw your skills earlier, pathetic man, real pathetic. I'm going to show everyone here what it means to be a member of the Black Dragon."

Offering no response, Ryu simply got into a defensive position while waiting for the signal to start. The stoic look on his face seemingly infuriating his opponent "Don't ignore me damnit!" He shouted "I am Kobra now fight me!"

Ryu once more offered nothing more than a raised eyebrow at the outburst of the man. He instead turned his head to face Kano who lounged on his chair "Are we good to go?" He asked calmly, trying to not pay attention to Kobra's look of impotent fury in his face.

"Start away mates!" Kano said with a wave of his hand, looking amused at the dialogue between the two "Just make sure it's entertaining!"

With those words, Ryu went into action, going on the offensive by dashing forward and unleashing a solid right towards Kobra. The blonde man was caught by surprise from the sudden attack and took it hard to the face, stumbling back from the blow. Ryu followed up on the attack with a series on punches to his torso before finishing off the attack with a roundhouse kick that sent Kobra spinning to the ground, landing roughly on his face. Ryu once again took on a more defensive posture as he waited for Kobra to get on his feet.

He didn't have to wait long as Kobra soon scrambled back to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth as he glared at Ryu "You son of a bitch!" He shouted out "I'll kill you for that!" Kobra rushed forward, hitting out with his fist several times; trying to land a punch on Ryu who merely stepped aside and dodged each attempted blow "You shall never win if you let your anger rule over your common sense." Ryu said simply, dodging every last attempt to hit him.

"Shut up! Stay still and fight damn you!" Kobra shouted as he tried to land at least one punch on Ryu, frantically hitting in front of him but to no effect. Ryu dodged each clumsy punch before finally seeing his opening and hitting another roundhouse kick, the contact making a cracking sound that echoed throughout the building. Ryu moved in for the kill as Kobra stumbled on his feet, the blow having completely dazed him. Going down low, Ryu braced himself before suddenly shooting up with his arm outstretched high above his head "SHO RYU KEN!" He cried out as his fist connected with Kobra's chin.

The move made Kobra's head shoot back while he shot up into the air with the force of the blow sending him careening into the air. As Ryu landed on his feet, Kobra continued being sent through the air before landing on the concrete, utterly unconscious. Taking a quick breath to help recover from the exertion, Ryu then put his hands together and gave a bow towards his fallen foe "You need to reign in your temper before you can become a true martial artist. Your inability to control yourself is a major weakness."

A slow clapping was heard as Kano gave Ryu a sarcastic applause "Well done there mate. I'm sure the unconscious idiot will be able to take your advice completely on hand."

Ryu decided to ignore that as he turned to face Kano, keeping his face steady as he looked at the crime lord sitting before him "I have defeated everyone who stood before me Kano. Are you my next opponent?"

Several people dotted throughout the crowd shoved their way towards the edge of the pit, their hands going into their clothing and pulling out various guns. Black Dragon goons and none of them appeared happy at Ryu's challenge. A sudden wave from Kano's hand made them all pause however and the crowd started to slowly shift away, eyeing the exits at the first sign of real trouble "Nah mate, not in the mood tonight." Kano said with the air of a man who couldn't be bothered with much "You won and you'll get your earnings, plus an opportunity like you've never had before."

Ryu he looked at the Black Dragon guards standing around, tensing his body in case he had to make any sudden movements as he spoke "I just entered to take part in some fights. If it's an opportunity from the Black Dragon, I'm not interested."

A hush descended upon the room and people froze, eyes turning to Kano to see the man's reaction. Much to everyone's surprise though, he merely shrugged "Fair enough mate, just trying to make your life a bit better. You want to miss on that, then grab your earnings and piss off before my lads see to you."

Seeing that he was perhaps lucky to get away without anything further than an insult, Ryu turned his back on Kano and walked up the ramp, taking the money shoved into him before turning back to face Kano "Just so you know, my challenge is still open Kano. If you ever want to take me on in a fight, just give the word."

A dark laugh came from Kano at the challenge "Saying that when I could have you gunned down? Got guts if nothing else I'll grant you! I'll take you up on your challenge at some point mate." Kano's face suddenly turned hard, the laughter leaving it as he looked at Ryu with an almost psychotic intensity "And you won't be walking away from it then you can believe me."

"We shall see Kano. If you ever decide to challenge anyone yourself that is." Ryu retorted before grabbing his bag by the door and leaving, stepping out into the warm night air. He realised he had probably just made an enemy of a very powerful man but he wasn't too concerned. He had faced men like Kano before and overcome them; he refused to become a pawn to them either, even if it did put him in mortal danger.

Looking down the slim alley he was in, Ryu made sure he was alone before heading down one way hurriedly. He suspected that Kano would send someone after him to try and teach him some manners, it would be better to be in a sport where he wouldn't be easily hemmed in. A small smile crossed Ryu's face as he considered it though. With luck, they just might provide a better challenge than his opponents in the tournament at least.

XXX

All in all, it had been a mildly profitable night for the Black Dragon. The takings had been enough to justify holding the tournament at least, although Kano was happy just for the entertainment. The crime lord looked over the now almost empty building, the crowd having long gone and only his Black Dragon followers remained. His chair was still standing and a table had been set up in front of it, covered with the money of the night. He was dividing it out amongst those around him, being very careful to make certain everyone got their correct amount. He was always careful to pay people what was agreed on, money was what motivated people to remain loyal, he paid people, he had less reason to worry about getting a knife between his shoulder blades.

"Right then ladies and gentlemen, those are your earnings for the night. Stick around and you just might get another job coming your…"

"HOLD IT!" A voice cried out, causing Kano to give an exasperated sigh at the sound. He turned and saw Kobra fast approaching the table, his face slightly swollen from the fight and looking furious at Kano "Where's my money Kano? You promised me a cut!"

"If you won you idiot." Kano snarled, his good mood quickly vanishing "Not only did you lose, but you got humiliated by someone from outside the organisation."

"Then send someone after him!" Kobra demanded, leaning over the table and getting directly into Kano's face "Give me a few guys and we'll bring back the money he won from us plus his head!"

Despite the approach Kobra was taking with him, Kano sat back in his chair, looking at the younger man with cold contempt "I won't do that for two reasons. First of all, even if I gave you what you wanted, you'd still find some way to cock it up and get humiliated another time. Second of all, that man is the best friend of Ken Masters, the same Ken Masters who is heir to Masters' Incorporated. They're the company who handle the logistics for SHIELD throughout the Pacific. Even if by some miracle you do kill him, it wouldn't be worth the heat it'd bring down on us."

A sneer crossed Kobra's face at that "So you're just going to hide because you're afraid that he might call in his friends? You've gotten soft Kano!" Kobra motioned with his hand towards the Black Dragon leader while calling out to the group surrounding them "While every other organisation is out taking a piece from HYDRA, he's got us just selling them weapons! They get the power and we just get a few measly grand every now and then! I say it's time for a new leader!"

A grin crossed Kano's face at the words, finally standing up from his chair as he looked at Kobra "You challenging me lad?"

"For the leadership of the Black Dragon!" Kobra said with a smirk "That is, if you've got the-."

The challenge was met with Kano darting to his hand to his side and pulling one of his butterfly knives from its sheath before quickly plunging it into Kobra's gut. The younger man's eyes bulged open from the shock and pain that went through his body before he suddenly coughed up a wad of blood that smacked against the table. Kobra slowly fell over; the knife still in his stomach as he landed on the table, grasping the hilt of the weapons as the blood quickly stained his hands.

"Lesson one Kobra lad; never challenge a bigger bastard than yourself." Kano said as he pulled his other butterfly knife from its sheath and quickly ran the blade across Kobra's throat, slicing it open and letting even more blood seep over the table before the blonde man quickly died. Not even bothering to look at him, Kano pulled the knives from his body and wiped them on his back, the only spots that weren't covered in blood.

"Anyone else wants to disagree with my executive decisions?" Kano asked only to receive silence in reply from the ensemble group "Lovely. Now, you lot clear up this stupid bastard's body. I'm off for a business meeting tomorrow and I need my rest."

With that, Kano turned and started to head out, leaving the clear up to the others. He felt his mood lift slightly, having gotten rid of an annoyance. He had no idea how Kobra got into the Black Dragon, he'd been a punk and little else. Despite their… less savoury aspects, Kano liked to think of the Black Dragon as being a business while he was in charge, profit was what mattered and the sort of arrogant pride Kobra displayed was a hindrance more than a help. He'd see to Ryu some other time, Kano was happy to wait.

The crime lord sheathed his weapons as he exited the building, smiling in the warm air. Oh yes, Ryu had just been added to a rather exclusive list, him, Sonya, and that big bastard who had robbed him of half his face. They'd all get their comeuppance sooner or later and Kano would delight in handing it out…

Cheyenne River, South Dakota, April:

The stars hanging overhead was a soothing sight for the man sitting by the fire. His body was battered and spirit weary from the battles he had taken on so very recently and needed to rest and recuperate. He had returned to his homelands in order to take the time needed for his recovery and in a few short weeks, had done well, the mystical energies that powered him had recovered and he was starting to feel back to normal.

The smoke from the fire made a thin trail that floated up to the sky, doing nothing to obscure the brilliant shine of the Moon or stars as the man looked up towards them with a faint smile. He felt that his peace couldn't be broken until he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning suddenly, he relaxed at seeing a familiar and welcome face "It is good to see you again Rose."

Stepping forward from the darkness, an attractive woman with dark hair and clad in a dark purple shirt and black trousers with a yellow scarf gave a warm smile in return to the greeting "And you too Nightwolf. It does me good to see you almost back to your full health."

Giving a smile at that, Nightwolf got to his feet slowly, his leather jacket and jeans relatively worn compared to Roses' stylish appearance "I feel much better in mind and spirit Rose. Our battle with Quan Chi took a toll on me that I've yet to entirely recover from it but now I can at least soon look forward to return to my previous duties."

"Take as much time as you need my friend." Rose said as she stepped towards the fire, her fingers intertwined with the edge of her scarf "Others of the mystical arts are playing their role in the World's defence. Young Zatanna is doing a commendable job and you have earned a rest."

"No rest for those with responsibilities such as ours." Nightwolf replied as he slowly started to steady himself "We need to be constantly on alert for any challenges. We were almost defeated by Quan Chi; I would not like such an incident where we are undone simply because I decided to take a break."

Rose gave a small smile at that "Things are not as desperate as you worry they are. Dr. Strange has been keeping a good eye on other mystical practitioners and all is quite so far."

A sigh of relief spread escaped from Nightwolf's lips at that announcement and he let his body relax. He was worried constantly about how the defences of Earth did but hearing the Sorcerer Supreme was doing well did him good "And word on the Emperor? Has Haokah spoken to you since the tournament?"

"Shao Kahn still lives sadly. I spoke to Raiden; Liu Kang's defeat only gravely injured him. He was been greatly weakened though and his Empire has started to crumble."

"A slight relief then." Nightwolf responded with a wry grin, thinking back to the Emperor's plan to invade Earth from his own Realm. When he was defeated by Liu Kang, he had attempted to resurrect his Queen on Earth to find a loophole in the rules set out by the Gods so he could invade Earth. His use of the sorcerer Quan Chi had brought himself to the attention of those mystically attuned on Earth. Nightwolf had joined with Doctor Strange and Zatanna to tackle the former Oni.

A twinge went through Nightwolf's body as he remembered the battle; Quan Chi had indeed been a powerful sorcerer, a match for any of them individually. But the four had managed to finally overcome him after hours of magical battle; the aftermath had left him drained and his body in desperate need for recuperation "And Quan Chi himself?"

"Still trapped by Doctor Strange in one of his prisons of his Sanctorum." Rose replied with a smile "It will be a long time before he tries to give someone anymore trouble."

"It's the least he deserves." Nightwolf said, knowing his shoulder would ache for a long while because of the battle he had with him "But now the Emperor has lost one of his greatest servants, I believe he shall be further weakened. There have been no further attempts against Earth?"

Shaking her head, Rose glanced down to the fire, a frown crossing her face "No, there has been nothing out of the ordinary… aside from the usual displacement. We have yet to find its source though."

Nightwolf made no response, looking into the fire as well as he considered this face. All those in tune with the mystical arts had been aware of something in the background of the Universe, something… out of place. It was akin to waking up every morning to find all your bedroom furniture had been rearranged. Not dangerous, not threatening, but remarkably unsettling. It had been looked into by everyone but no one could quite understand what it was and it was starting to make them nervous.

"We shall find the source soon enough." Rose said in a comforting tone as she noticed the expression on Nightwolf's face "There is no great need, it is simply an oddity."

Nightwolf remained silent for a moment, still staring into the fire as he considered the problem before them "I wish I felt the same Rose." He eventually said "But I feel a storm is approaching us and I do not know if we will even be able to recognise the challenge." The flames in the fire flickered uncontrollably for a moment, the light of the flame rising high before dying back down "Or if we could match it."

Los Angeles, April:

For a man who had grown up on the streets of Kingston and made his living performing in whatever club or concert he could get a booking in, the large penthouse apartment he was in was quite a luxurious place. Dee Jay stooped as the assistant let him through the door, taking in the huge penthouse room before him. The single room before him was as big as his house back in Jamaica with huge windows opening out to the Californian sky and giving a clear view of the city below.

The room had its furniture all pointing to a wall where a huge widescreen TV had been set up and all the other walls were either full of shelves or plastered with framed pictures. Looking closely at the shelves and pictures in question, Dee Jay could see that they were a personal shrine to one person, a blatant showing of ego. Considering who he was about to meet, Dee Jay wasn't really all that surprised. He looked back to the TV screen as it suddenly let out a huge bang. It was then that he saw it was on and switched onto a cartoon where a duck had just been tricked into getting himself shot.

The sound of bright giggling was heard and Dee Jay saw someone sitting on the floor before the TV, a young woman from the looks of it "I'll go get Johnny since you're both here." The assistant said, a pretty young blonde woman with a dazzling smile.

Dee Jay nodded as she walked off, still a little taken aback by the wealth before him. As the assistant walked towards a small door that led to elsewhere in the penthouse, Dee Jay took another look around, the size of the place amazing him as well as the newspaper articles lining the walls. They were all about one person and concerned various subjects such as martial arts tournaments, new TV show ratings and massive box office success. The shelves were lined with awards from said tournaments and TV shows and movies. Everything seemed to look towards highlighting how remarkably incredible and handsome the person in them was.

Dee Jay found himself having to smile slightly. When a man dedicated an entire penthouse to how incredible they were, they were going to be memorable to meet at the very least. He was looking forward to meeting Johnny Cage all the more now. With nothing else to do, Dee Jay walked over to near the TV screen and looked down to the woman, stopping in surprise as he saw who it was.

The woman was fairly short with long blue hair down to her waist. Surprisingly though, that wasn't the most stand out aspect of her. Her hands and feet were actually cat paws with bright white fur covering them and even going up her arms and legs. She was wearing a pair of loose trousers and loose T-shirt that gave enough space for her tail to poke out between them. Compared to his open jacket and track suit trousers with sandals, Dee Jay thought she looked a little uncomfortable though. Then again, maybe whatever Mutant abilities she had made clothes a bit hard to get used to, the size of her feet alone meant shoes were an impracticality to say the least.

"Hey there." He called out to the woman, causing her to turn around with a bright smile and her green eyes.

"Hi there!" She said, bouncing up onto her feet and getting close to Dee Jay "I'm Felicia! Pleased to meet you! What's your name?"

"Uh… Dee Jay." He replied, wondering if the girl woman had ever heard of the concept of personal space "You're here by invitation too?"

"Yep! Someone came to see me after one of my shows and offered me to come here to talk about a project with Mr. Cage!"

The same thing had basically happened to Dee Jay. He had performed a concert in a small venue in Florida when being approached by Johnny's agent with an offer to come out to LA to discuss a project, all expenses paid. It was something Dee Jay couldn't refuse "You did a show?" He asked, one point getting his curiosity.

Felicia nodded eagerly "Yep! It's an off-off-off Broadway sort of thing but everyone has to start somewhere right?" The last note in her voice was laced with a sad tone, as if she had been telling herself that for a very long time, something Dee Jay knew about all too well.

"They do. I was in Florida recently, managed to sell a few CD's and got a few shows. Not much, but it always helps build up a rep, ya know?"

"Yes! Everything helps!" Felicia said, her enthusiasm restored "Gotta chase the dream always!"

Felicia's attitude made Dee Jay smile although that wasn't generally difficult for him as a rule. She was optimistic and hopeful, qualities he always loved seeing in people "That ya do." He replied "So you're an actor then? What role does Johnny have planned for you?"

"I'm more of a singer really." Felicia said "My show was a concert in a small theatre; I sang some of my own songs plus a few Broadway classics."

Dee Jay couldn't help it, the words were welling up the moment Felicia said Broadway "Anything from Cats?" He asked, inwardly kicking himself the moment he finished speaking.

Much to his surprise though, Felicia simply shook her head "No, never liked that one. I do a rather good rendition of 'Any Dream Will Do' though." She blushed modestly after saying that "Well, that's what I've been told anyway. What about you?"

"I groove to all kinds of music Felicia. Calypso, Ska, Reggae and Soca, they're all great. I don't stick to one thing; I let the rhythm lead the way. Can't do it any other way but let the tune carry me where it wants to go."

Felicia's eyes lit up as Dee Jay spoke, listening to every word as he spoke "Oh I know! You have to do what you love! Work hard and you'll make it in the end!"

"Which will come a lot sooner thanks to me." A voice said, one dripping with charm and self confidence. Dee Jay and Felicia turned and saw Johnny Cage coming out through the door with his assistant. He wore only some loose training trousers with sneakers on his feet and some wrist bands. A sheen of sweat covered his body as it looked as if he'd just come from a work out. His assistant followed him, keeping up a peppy look "Hey, you guys want something to drink? Sheila, get my usual and whatever these two want."

The woman behind Johnny nodded and walked over to a small bar that rested by the windows, sorting out some drinks as Johnny walked forward "Hey, Johnny Cage. World famous movie star and the ticket to stardom for both of you."

The face that he had introduced himself, and in such a manner no less, made Dee Jay pause but give a small smile at the sheer ego of the man "Dee Jay, Southern Comet and singer." He answered in a mildly teasing tone.

"I'm Felicia! I have my own show!" Felicia announced brightly, not getting Dee Jay's mocking of Johnny's ego.

"Oh I know who you two are alright; it's why you're here. Here, check this out." Cage walked over to the chair and grabbed a remote, switching from the duck in the middle of a nervous breakdown to two recorded scenes. The screen split in half as it showed two scenes of Dee Jay, one in the middle of a concert as his unique beat captivated the audience and on the other side, a scene of Dee Jay in fight mode, battling it out against a far inferior opponent as Dee Jay's odd mixture of kickboxing and capoeria put him leagues ahead of the other man "Sheila?" Cage prompted as the woman returned with a protein shake.

"Dee Jay, real name Damien Jameson. Age, twenty-eight. You've been on the fight scene since you were sixteen when you competed in Kingston's underground fighting arenas. You've been trying to get into the music industry for ten years, managing to get a cult following in the States and elsewhere but you've yet to really break into the mainstream music scene."

Johnny took a sip of his shake and then pressed a button on the remote. Now the two images faded and were changed with recordings of Felicia. One of her in a mostly full theatre, singing a beautiful rendition of 'The Impossible Dream' and the other of her in what looked like a small dojo, having a sparring session with a young man that went Felicia's way, her style unorthodox and one Dee Jay found difficult to recognise. Considering her difference in body from other people though, Dee Jay admitted that it made sense. She seemed to like it in a way differently than Dee Jay had in his video. Dee Jay had enjoyed the thrill of battle; Felicia looked as if she was a child in the middle of playing with a friend. Cage took another sip of his shake and motioned his head towards Sheila "Sheila?" He prompted.

"Felicia, real name Felicity Bowes. Age, twenty-eight. You've been trying to get into show business since you were a child. You first got background roles in Las Vegas stage shows but never got a big break. You moved to New York five years ago in order to try to break into Broadway and managed to secure your own show a few months ago in a New York theatre that's managed some success."

Both Dee Jay and Felicia paused at this, sharing a glance as the information about their lives was said out loud, nothing truly personal but enough to take them by surprise. Cage seemed to notice their expressions and smiled "Hey don't worry about it. We have to do this kind of screening for everyone in a major movie."

"Oh well that's MOVVVVIIIIEEEEEEE?" Felicia cried out, making Dee Jay flinch at the sudden change in tone, pitch and volume took him completely by surprise, almost as much as Cage's announcement.

Managing to recover from the sudden assault on his eardrums, Dee Jay thought about Cage's words and looked at the man, just about able to process what he had said "Y-You want us to be in a movie?" He asked, in a much more level tone than Felicia's, looking over and seeing a literal light in her eyes, shining with joy.

That everlasting grin of Cage's face never left as he nodded in response "Yeah, guess I should have broke to it you guys in a more spectacular way but if there's one thing Johnny Cage isn't too good at, it's keeping a secret. Ain't that right Sheila?"

"You're a blabbermouth sir." Sheila responded, not missing a beat and Cage didn't seem to react. Dee Jay wondered just how many such comments went over Cage's head from the assistant.

"Exactly Sheila." Cage replied "Anyway, since I'm the executive producer on this project, I've had you both scouted and I really like both your stuff for my upcoming movie." Cage held up the remote and went to press a button before glancing at his assistant "Fanfare if you will Sheila."

With a smile at the other two, the sort someone gave when they knew that someone else was missing out on a good joke, Sheila pulled out a kazoo from her shirt pocket and started playing 'The Great Gate of Kiev' on it. Dee Jay bit his cheek to stop himself from laughing, noticing that Felicia was still too captivated to take in the silliness of the situation.

Happy with the tune, Cage pressed the button and the screen of the TV changed to a display of something new entirely. It was a glitzy sign of white surrounded by bright red lights with a name in the middle saying…

"Song of War?" Dee Jay read aloud as Sheila finished playing, not certain of where this was going but his suspicions were growing…

"You've got it! Song of War, the first ever fighting movie musical! We've already signed on Dazzler and in negotiations with the Gorillaz as well as some others. It's a personal project of mine that ought to be like nothing that's ever come before!"

"It's… original." Dee Jay said, finding the most neutral word he could to describe it. Out of all the things he thought he'd be asked to do when he was invited to Johnny Cage's penthouse, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. An offer to do part of the soundtrack for a movie was his wildest dream but to actually be in one? Even with the over the top concept, Dee Jay had a wide smile from sheer excitement.

"It's great! I love it!" Felicia said, much more enthusiastically and was bouncing on her paws in excitement "When are we starting?"

Johnny held up his hands slightly "Whoa, hold on just a second. Let me take you through it first, see if you still want to be attached it. First of all, I'm the hero in it, but that's only to be expected. My character is a man who is an actor who is trying to make his way into the music industry but is being stopped a mogul who's afraid of my sheer talent. He kidnaps my girlfriend to make me give up but I plough through his goons in a series of musical fights before bringing down the mogul himself in an explosive finale." Cage gave a smile that looked almost modest by his standards "Not exactly the most original of stories but hey, we're going for razzmatazz here. Isn't that right Sheila?"

"Style over substance Mr. Cage." Sheila said in a bright tone. Dee Jay began to realise that it was all about the tone with Cage as opposed to the actual words.

Cage simply nodded "Hit the nail on the head there Sheila. Anyway, what we're aiming for you is to be some of the mogul's goons. You'll both have your own musical numbers of your preferred genres before taking me on in a fight scene which I'll win of course. Still interested?"

A whimper from his side made Dee Jay pause in his answer before looking to see Felicia with the most obscenely upset expression he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes glimmered with tears and she pouted in way that would shame the most adorable six year old ""Y-You want me to play a baddie?" She asked in a voice that sounded as if her very spirit had been crushed.

For the first time since he had walked into the room, Cage seemed to be uncertain as he saw Felicia look positively heartbroken over his plans for her role. Unable to take the sheer disappointment on the woman's face and the heart rending adorable expression it produced "Well when I say goons, I mean that people who're just under contract to the mogul. Just misguided really who will certainly turn out to be one of the good guys when things are explained to them after the fight scene."

The absolute despair on her face vanished after Cage finished and replaced by sheer, unadulterated joy "Oh that'll be fine!" Felicia announced "That'll be a great part! I'm in!"

A smirk crossed Sheila's face at the interaction "I'll phone the scriptwriters and tell them to rework half the film right away Mr. Cage."

"Be a darling and get onto that Sheila." Cage said with a good deal of relief at seeing Felicia's mood rapidly change. Turning away from Felicia, who was now bouncing on the chair in celebration, Cage put his attention on to Dee Jay "How about you Dee Jay? You'll have control over which songs you'll do and the director we have will be able to talk you through what we want from your scenes. I know that you both can do this easily enough, I've scouted your fights and your music and know you can pull this off with some direction."

Dee Jay thought about it for a second, it was a unique concept and he was completely taken aback by it. But he wasn't going to refuse it for certain. This was an opportunity he wouldn't have even dared dream of even days ago. A role in a Johnny Cage movie that allowed him to show off his musical talents and fighting skills? This wasn't something he couldn't pass on "I'm in." Dee Jay said "This is gonna be something to remember, and I ain't against being a baddie." He gave a smile to Felicia "I reckon I could just about pull it off."

Cage laughed at that as they both looked at the still bouncing Felicia "Glad one of you could, the scriptwriters are going to have enough problems with this." Cage kept an eye on the excited Catwoman "Worth the headache compared to having to see her face again. Remind me to never do anything to make her sad. I don't think I could take it."

After watching Felicia continue to bounce around for a while, Cage eventually stepped in front of her "Okay, while I've nothing against celebrations, let us join in as well. I know a great Chinese place down in the city, let's talk over the finer details there and get a good meal on top of it."

"That sounds good to me." Dee Jay said, thinking he could do with something to eat after such events.

Felicia stopped bouncing in time to nod in agreement "That'll be perfect! I could do with something to eat soon! This is the best day ever!"

Cage gave the two another of his dazzling smiles before turning to Sheila "Book us into Wei Fong's will you Sheila? He knows me well enough by now. I'll just head off for a shower to freshen up and you two guys get to know each other a little better." With a wave, Cage left the room while Sheila walked to the other side of the room to make the reservation.

Before he could make a comment, Dee Jay was taken by surprise when Felicia jumped onto him and gave him a huge hug "We're gonna be in a movie!" She cried out excitedly, holding onto his body affectionately "This is our break!"

Surprised by the movement, Dee Jay smiled and returned the hug although not to the extent of Felicia's "I sure hope so." He said, meaning it utterly "This is… amazing. Didn't think this was goin' to happen when I got up this morning. I think we're gonna make it to the big time with this, you and me. Should be great seeing your stuff."

"Well I've got the booking for the… Oh, sorry." Sheila said as she walked up to the two and their embrace "Shall I let you two have some alone time?"

Seemingly not noticing the tone in Sheila's voice, Felicia shook her head "Nope! Want to join us! This is a celebration for everyone!" She said before holding out an arm for her to join in.

Sheila glanced at Dee Jay and raised an eyebrow. Dee Jay simply smiled and opened up his arm as well "May as well. I'm sure you had a hand in getting us hired as well. You've earned this."

Giving a laugh at that, Sheila stepped forward and hugged the other two, the three sharing a celebratory embrace as the hopes of two of them were rising to places previously unknown places. It was a great day indeed.

Washington DC, April:

"There's only coffee?"

Delta Red looked up at the protestation, amusement crossing their faces as they saw the look of outrage on Cammy's face at the drinks provided "It's only to be expected Cammy. These are Americans we're dealing with." Colonel Wolfman said with a smile "Can hardly expect them to keep to the finer aspects of British tea time."

"Besides, nowt wrong with a good cup of coffee." McCoy said, brushing past Cammy with his impressive bulk, grabbing onto the pot and pouring himself a cup.

Looking devastated at her compatriots lack of proper taste for early morning drinks, Cammy turned to the others in a sense of appeal "Come on Lita, Ginzu, you can't agree with this can you?"

Ginzu glanced up from his computer and shrugged "I only drink orange juice; you know I don't care for hot drinks."

Chuckling at Cammy's outrage being largely ignored, Lita slouched in her chair and gave the younger woman a grin "Seems like you've got to adapt to where we are Cammy luv. Remember, we're the guests here, may as well get used to the local cuisine."

Letting out a grumble, Cammy looked over to Wolfman "Permission to order in some proper tea on expenses sir."

"Permission granted." Wolfman said with a look of amusement on her face "Although for now, it would be best to sit and wait for this briefing, they'll be here soon anyway."

Nodding silently in agreement, Cammy pulled a chair out from the table and sat down heavily, looking around the room idly. It was your typical room set aside for small scale meetings. A wooden table surrounded by over a dozen chairs with a projector at one end and a screen at the other. A small table stood beside the door holding a pot of coffee and various Styrofoam cups scattered about. Everything was beige or brown and offered little to look at.

Resolved to wait patiently for the other guests to arrive, Cammy sat down on one of the padded chairs just as she was surprised when the door opened and in walked their partners for the upcoming mission, Major Jax Briggs and Lieutenant Sonya Blade. Instantly, all of Delta Red rose to their feet as a sign of respect and Wolfman exchanged a salute with the Major "Good to see your unit here Colonel, heard good things about you all."

"As have we Major." Wolfman replied "It'll be a pleasure to work with the Special Forces."

Jax nodded briskly "We'll have to get down to it. There's a lot to talk about." He said before walking over to the projector, causing Wolfman to raise an eyebrow. Apparently Major Jax was very much a business person.

Looking over to Sonya, Cammy herself raised an eyebrow at her manner of dress. Sonya's chosen attire was tight fitting trousers, dark boots and a sleeveless jacket that was only barely zipped, showing a healthy amount of cleavage to everyone and actually managing to tear Ginzu's eyes away from his computer screen. Jax himself was wearing an open jacket that showed off the man's well worked abs and it went sleeveless, showing the full extent of his metal arms. Cammy wondered what happened to the man to have required such radical treatment. Compared to the identical green uniforms of the British military and red berets of Delta Red, the Special Forces members dressed like it was a casual Friday.

Sonya switched off the light Jax switched the projector on after grabbing a cup of coffee, the image showing a strategic display of the Pacific Ocean with various bullet points made across it "The situation since the attack on HYDRA by SHIELD has now escalated into something we didn't expect. Reports have reached us during the last few months that the head of HYDRA, Baron von Strucker, was captured and killed by agents unknown. After that, the remaining resources of his organisation have fallen into a massive smash and grab from various other criminal organisations."

The screen suddenly went into different colours, showing the situations of territory along the Pacific between the various organisations. South-East Asia was coloured a scarlet red, Japan was a dark blue, China was shown as purple, Western Australia was a mix between black and red with the east of the country and all of New Zealand being black as well. The parts of the United States that showed up on the map were a mixture of those three colours although California was a dark green. Lines criss-crossed the Pacific, denoting the division of various crime operations and territories of each organisation in turn, it was a chaotic situation.

"As you can see, HYDRA's remaining influence in the Pacific region has collapsed entirely in the last two months with three organisations in particular having risen above the others. The dark red denotes Shadowlaw, the largest growing crime organisation in the World at this time. Its most profitable businesses come from its drug running, extortion, grabbing control politically unstable regions and it has various fronts throughout Asia, including controlling shares in several Hong Kong film studios."

"China's strongest crime syndicate right now is headed by a man calling himself the Zhang Tong although the Chinese government is currently waging a war of their own against him, their Great Ten having managed to destroy a large amount of his influence in the country. It's them that have taken the worst beating in this conflict so far, losing what influence they had in Hong Kong to Shadowlaw."

"The Hand is the group that is dominant in Japan, having brought many of the Yakuza groups to heel over the last few years. It is a largely mercenary group outside Japanese borders though, getting a lot of money from regular assassination jobs. They seem to have expanded their ambitions since HYDRA collapsed though and were the first to move against them after SHIELD operations had finished."

"HYDRA had managed to retain some influence in the Western states before its collapse and the conflict has taken its most fluid pace here, although Shadowlaw seems to be the one with the advantage at the moment. In California though, the local crime syndicates have gathered around a new group that simply calls itself 'the Pride'. We don't know too much about them apart from that they're powerful enough to have resisted any incursions in California so far but have remained largely on the defensive."

As Jax spoke, the screen brought up boxes of text and data that displayed various figures that showed the extent of the conflict between the syndicates, from the running battles to profit being made from various crime operations "And now we come to the reason why we're here today." Jax said as the screen took away the text boxes and brought up a single photo of a rough looking man with a metal plate over his eye "The Black Dragon, run by a man named Kano."

Delta Red had watched silently throughout this, taking on each fact in turn. Some of this they had been aware of, the running battles between the various criminal organisations had been reported to them back in London although it hadn't been a priority compared to keeping Britain itself safe. Cammy digested the information carefully before speaking up "He isn't a regular back home. Have the Black Dragon been making strides in this conflict?"

Looking disgruntled at the question, Jax nevertheless shook his head "No, and please wait until I'm finished before asking another question." He said, causing Cammy and Lita to share a glance with each other, the latter smirking slightly before he went on "Ten years ago, the Black Dragon was just your normal criminal organisation, their fingers in many pies. That was until Kano made his way up the ranks and turned them into something entirely different."

The screen shifted its images once again, this time showing pictures of huge storehouses of weaponry and several blurry photos of what appeared to be people meeting in darkened rooms. No real prizes for guessing what they were doing "Under Kano's leadership, the Black Dragon has become the largest illegal weapons supply and smuggling organisation in the Pacific and Asia. He turned the Black Dragon into a neutral power in the crime world, not squabbling over territory but going wherever the money was. Most of the conflict between the crime organisations has been fuelled by Black Dragon weapons. They're selling them to everyone and since they're not making a move against anyone else's territory, they've been making the fattest profit out of everyone from this mess."

"Now SHIELD has been working in conjunction with various other law agencies in order to stem the conflict with mixed success. So the Special Forces have devised a plan to tackle the conflict at one of its sources." Jax waited for the screen to clear once again, only to now bring up new information with several points on the map now highlighted with points "These are the known whereabouts of Black Dragon weapon warehouses and manufacturing points. Our goal over the next few months is to eliminate these and find out any more that we can bring down and fast. SHIELD and various other agencies will give whatever help they can but for the most part, it's simply the Special Forces and Delta Red for the opening stages."

Jax paused for a moment, taking a sip of coffee to wet and finishing "Our main objectives will be intelligence gathering and attacks on Black Dragon targets. Our aim is to severely undermine and if possible, cripple Black Dragon operations throughout the Pacific Region. I was told Delta Red was the best anti-terrorist force in Europe, that you'd be up to the task. Do you think you could handle this?"

A smirk crossed the faces of all of Delta Red, not from arrogance, but the confidence of having taken on such odds before and coming out on top "Delta Red shall be happy to help Special Forces. We can take care of anything the Black Dragon would care to throw at us. Just as long as you chaps can keep up with us." Wolfman replied, giving a smile at Jax.

The Major gave nod in reply "Good, we'll be reporting to our respective governments over this and I've been told that the British government has reserved your services in case of emergencies. This match up with what you've been told?"

"Essentially yes. We're only on loan for these missions in particular, if anything crops up back home, then we're to leave straight away. The Black Dragon are a threat Major, but Delta Red looks after its own home above all else."

Nodding at Wolfman's response, Jax motioned clapped his hands and the light came back on before the screen was switched off, making everyone blink from the rapid change of light. Taking another sip of coffee, Jax waited for everyone to recover before going on "We'll be based in San Francisco throughout the mission for better operating abilities. Board will be provided and we'll have local authorities giving us whatever we need in order to help us supplies wise. We estimate that a total of six months well be needed before managing to do the damage we aim to do towards the Black Dragon."

Lita barked a laugh at that "That's what you think Major!" She said "We're Delta Red, the best in the world! We'll have this mission beaten in half the time your lot have estimated! And if we don't, McCoy will cook up a five course meal for you!"

"Oi!" McCoy protested "Why am I the one who'll have to cook?"

"Because Cammy will just mess it up." Lita retorted, making the other members of Delta Red give a smile at the joke.

"Is this how you let your unit talk during a briefing Colonel?" Jax asked, the annoyance at the unprofessionalism clearly showing.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of high spirits on a mission Major." Wolfman replied coolly "Although I agree that proper respect shall be shown to our ranks from this point on." He added, giving a sharp glance towards Lita.

An awkward silence enveloped over the table before Jax finally went on "Rooms will be provided for you tonight and we'll set off for San Francisco at 06:00 hours in the morning. Any further questions?"

None of Delta Red answered and Jax simply nodded "Very well then. We'll see you at 06:00 tomorrow then. Dismissed." Giving another salute, Jax then exited the room, Sonya giving the group and apologetic glance before following him.

"Redwood." Lita said out loud after a pause.

"Redwood?"

"Yeah, that'll be the tree shoved right up his…"

"Enough of that Lita." Wolfman said quickly "The Major seems to be… of a professional bent, but we're here to help. Attitude problems can be left at the door."

"Yes sir." Lita replied, the look on her face showing her disgruntlement at the situation. It soon vanished behind a wicked grin "Still, get to see some action at least. Haven't had much of that the last few months."

Cammy smiled at the enthusiasm shown by her friend "That'll be the reason we've been sent out here. I suppose us being leant out to the Americans makes it look as if we're doing something to earn our wages."

Reaching up and stretching her arms and back, Cammy gave a grunt before looking over to the Colonel "What now sir?"

"Well as the Major so eloquently put it," Wolfman started with a slight hint of sarcasm "We're to meet at six tomorrow morning. I suggest we use the time to rest up. A long haul flight over the States won't do us a whole lot of good."

"Especially if the Major will be travelling with us." Lita said as Delta Red rose from their seats, Cammy lingering just long enough to be walking beside Wolfman.

After a moment of nervous silence, Cammy finally spoke up as the group left the room "You think we'll manage to get along with the Special Forces sir?"

"First impressions are important." Wolfman conceded "But I think we'll get the job done regardless. We're Delta Red, the best around. If there's a challenge, we'll be sure to be up to it."

Giving a smile in response to Wolfman's words, Cammy realised the truth of them and resolved to be there for her friends and comrades. At the very least, it would prove to be an interesting few months.

New Jersey, April:

Kevin Jacks was worried about one of his passengers. Granted, anyone who got onto his buses bound for Gotham was generally someone he was worried about anyway but this one was different. As the Sun lowered in the sky and darkness came down, the only sound was that of the bus travelling down along the highway and the stranger playing with her dog in the back of the bus. Normally Kevin would have stopped an animal getting on his bus but the way the girl had looked at him when he tried to stop her had been just… unnerving.

It was usually a quiet run to Gotham, especially at night where not many were comfortable with the thought of travelling to Gotham in the dark was something not many wished to do. Certainly the city had gotten better these last few years but old fears were hard to shake off. Kevin looked over the darkening highway and seeing little traffic ahead of him, decided to break with his typical routine and actually try and talk to the passenger "Little young to be travelling to Gotham on your own, aren't you?" He called out.

The girl looked up at the question, the sudden movement pushing back her hood to reveal her blonde hair. That was another thing that disconcerted Kevin; the girl was dressed like something out of a fairy tale book. Red hood and cloak, old fashioned dress and shoes with a wicker basket for carrying goods in. Everything about her just seemed… unreal, especially the look she was giving Kevin. He could see it in the mirror, her eyes bright, but seemed to be shining with something that came close to, well, frightening him if he was to be honest.

"I have business in Gotham" She answered eventually before going back to playing with her dog, giving out a giggle that _almost _sounded innocent.

"Business? What kind of business does a kid like you have in Gotham?" Kevin asked, incredulous that this girl, who looked barely older than fifteen, could have any sort of business in Gotham City.

A sudden gleam of light came from the girl and Kevin went pale as he saw the knife in her hands. It was a proper hunting knife, clean, huge and looked remarkably sharp "Why, I'm going to slay a monster." The girl said with her eerie giggle.

Kevin gaped for a moment before remembering the fact he was at the wheel of a very large bus and quickly turned his eyes back to the road. Having seen the blade, Kevin kept his eyes slowly on the road and focused on the fact he was definitely not being paid enough to deal with situations like this. The girl went back to playing with her dog once the question was answered and Kevin kept on driving the bus, hoping to get out of this without getting involved with Gotham's well known and documented insanity.

Gotham City, April:

Looking up from the street, the night sky was utterly black, only the glow of the city itself showed any light. A pitch black sky looked down on a city that was used to such sights in its eyes and deep in its soul. Occasionally a star would be seen, shining all the harder to give a light to the city. It would fade in time but would return, always giving the city one light to cling to.

In such times, Sub-Zero found the sight oddly hopeful, a small comfort while they were fleeing for their lives. He stood high amongst the roofs of Gotham, hidden amongst the gargoyles and Gothic architecture of the city while looking down at the teeming streets below. For two months he and Smoke had been hiding in the depths of the city, keeping hidden from prying eyes… for the most part anyway.

"Are you happy constantly risking yourself like this?" A voice came from behind Sub-Zero, making him turn around to see his old friend looking on disapprovingly.

"There is no risk Smoke." Sub-Zero said "If anyone had tracked us down to Gotham, you think we wouldn't know? The city would be crawling with Lin Kuei if they knew of our whereabouts, with the precautions we've taken, we'll know of them before they know of us."

Smoke gave no response to that aside from stepping forward and looking down from the edge of the building with a cool eye "I find it hard to believe we've managed to hide from them so far." He said calmly "After fleeing from them I'd have thought they would be determined to track us down."

Sub-Zero had considered the problem himself over the last few months as they had hid in Gotham. Their refusal to go along with the Grandmaster's scheme to turn the clan into automatons had them marked for death by the clan. Only by going to Outworld and then taking a long roundabout route back to Earth that allowed them to escape the potential wrath of the clan. Even then, if not for the timely intervention of a Mystic named Dhalsim, Smoke would have been captured by the newly automated Lin Kuei.

"We simply might not be high on their priorities. The process of turning the clan into cyborgs eliminated all emotion within them. It's entirely possible that they determined revenge to be pointless."

Despite the fact his face was almost entirely obscured by a mask, the look of scepticism was evident on Smoke and Sub-Zero had to admit it was a fairly weak reasoning. Even if they didn't want revenge, the Lin Kuei couldn't allow them to continue to live outside the clan. They knew too much and had marked themselves out as opponents to the clan, they had to die or be brought into the cyborg initiative.

"We shall be careful." Sub-Zero said in response to Smoke's continued look.

"Careful includes prowling the streets and striking down every mugger you find?" Smoke said with some incredulity.

Behind his dark mask, Sub-Zero smiled a little while looking back down to the streets "Have you not heard Smoke? This is the city of Batman. A dark figure prowling the streets and helping those in need is seen as his doing. I only wish that we could see him face to face. From what I have heard of his skills, he would have done well back in the clan."

"I heard he was merely a lie spread by the police to do their work for them." Smoke said gruffly, still unhappy about Sub-Zero's actions "Just because you have a cover doesn't mean that we can operate without risk of being caught by the Lin Kuei. You need to be more careful."

Standing back from the edge of the building, Sub-Zero turned back and started to head towards the shadows as a police helicopter flew overhead. Smoke followed him as they darted into the shadows further, completely hidden by the darkness of the statues decorating the old building. The helicopter passed quickly, evidently having business elsewhere and the two former Lin Kuei members stepped back into the thin light "I shall continue my protection of those unable to help themselves Smoke. We have abilities to help and we are no longer under the control of the Lin Kuei, we can do some good here that we couldn't as mere assassins. If the Lin Kuei wants to track us down, they shall do so and we shall be prepared for them."

"I wish I shared your confidence my friend." Smoke said sadly, finally showing some worry "Two months we've been here and your frequent clashes with criminals only threaten to expose us. When the Lin Kuei comes…"

"We shall be ready Smoke." Sub-Zero answered "Are we to always be scurrying about, fearful of the Lin Kuei? We can make a difference here and I shall. I won't be forced to hide in the shadows by the Lin Kuei. We are marked for death no matter what we do Smoke, let us make our lives count for something at least."

Smoke gave no verbal answer but his face, as much of it that could be seen with his mask on, softened somewhat. He wouldn't argue the point however much he would second guess it. The attention of both men was suddenly pulled away though when the sound of a police siren was heard in the distance and Smoke stiffened.

Noticing the tensing of his friend, Sub-Zero softened his tone as he said "You do not have to help if you do not wish to do so."

"And let you fall into an inevitable trap by the Lin Kuei when they catch up with you?" Smoke asked, the very hint of humour coming through on his voice "I'll stand by you, my friend, I don't have much choice anyway."

For the first time in a long time, Sub-Zero gave a laugh, albeit a small one. Smoke's grim humour was something that suited the occasion "Then let us go and see what good we can do." He said before making his way over the rooftop to the sound of sirens, Smoke following behind him as they vanished into the darkness.

Tokyo, April:

Handing over the money, Ryu smiled as the vendor gave him his carton of noodles. Savouring the smell, Ryu started to tuck into them while walking down the street, glad of the morning air. It was fresh and warm with a soft breeze, perfect for a spring day. As he walked along the busy street, Ryu savoured the peace of being by himself and gave a sigh of content, wondering how long it would last…

"'Allo mate." Said a voice, answering Ryu's question. He turned and saw a man clad in a thick hooded coat, the hood obscuring his face completely except from those right in front of him. Ryu saw it for who it was; the light that substituted a right eye certainly gave it away.

"What do you want Kano?" Ryu asked, placing his carton down on the floor quickly as he faced off against the man before him, tensing his body as he got ready in case of a fight.

"Now that's no way to greet a man who's about to make you rich."

"Rich?" Ryu asked, not expecting that response "My answer is still the same Kano; I will not join with the Black Dragon."

Kano gave a chuckle at that before shaking his head "Nah, I'm not here to ask you that. It's about word I've been given about a tournament taking place in three months. The tournament I should say."

Ryu paused, still alert though as he didn't trust Kano and would have been a fool to do so "An underground one?"

Kano reached into a pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, handing it over to Ryu who took it cautiously "You might say that. It's taking place in Gotham. Apparently some big wig's decided to host the preliminaries of the next Street Fighter tournament there. And you're out to be the guest of honour."

Reading the paper, Ryu saw that Kano was seemingly telling the truth, it being an invitation for him to be in Gotham in July for the tournament "Why are you telling me this? Isn't this a bit underneath you, playing courier for someone else?"

A dark look passed over Kano's face for a moment before it forced himself into a grin "Y'might say that." He said "But the way I sees it, the Street Fighter Tournament is the largest fighting tournament in the world. Gonna be thousands riding on a single match, tens of thousands riding on the final. I just wanted to make sure that you'd be aware of it."

"So you could make a fortune betting on me, is that it?" Ryu demanded, seeing the reasoning behind all of this.

Kano paused before once more letting out one of his dark chuckles "You might say that mate, you might say that. Just make sure you're in Gotham in July, bound to be very memorable, for all of us."

With that, Kano turned and walked away. Ryu let him go, looking around the crowded street and noticing a few people with their hands in their jackets, near to bulges that looked like the sort you'd get from hidden guns. He opened up his bag and dropped the paper inside, realising he'd have to think about what he'd do for this. The new Street Fighter Tournament was something he had to be a part of, to defend his title if nothing else. But with the Black Dragon aiming to make money on him?

Ryu picked up his noodles with a frown as he realised they had gotten cold. He started eating them once more and made his way back through the street, realising he'd have to make some phone calls…

Beyond Time, Beyond Space:

In the darkness he sat, remembering his plans to return to glory and raise his people to their rightful place in the Universe.

In the darkness he sat, knowing that the five fours keys would soon fit into the locks of the fifth and then they would shine forth.

In the darkness he sat, waiting for the instant when his plan would come to fruition and then would come their deserved victory.

In the darkness he sat, raising his eyes and let out a single whisper "Gallifrey rises."

In the darkness Rassilon sat, and smiled.

To be continued…

**The second part to this little crossover, once more generally to lay the foundation for stuff that's to follow. Hope you enjoyed and might add to the series further if I ever work up the motivation. Once again, I hope you enjoyed this humble tale!**


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